First and foremost, thank you (both Timothy and Soulskill) for responding. It's half a step in the right direction. The tone in this "story" is much less angry and more civil, so you definitely have our attention.
With that said, I'm still boycotting from February 10th through 17th to emphasize how angry I am. You have hurt the community here -- possibly irrevocably because I am also actively pursuing possibilities of an alternative slashdot-like site -- even though I'd rather stay with Slashdot. (I know of three that were started independently in the past 24 hours.) Why? Because this is the first major response to our complaints that you've given about beta in forever. You made us believe that you are "taking classic away from us". You still haven't directly responded to this problem and it is mind blowing.
It's really simple. Until you implement all major features, your site is an alpha. In an actual beta, all major features are implemented and you should only be working out bugs and kinks. We will be there to help you with both the alpha and beta. Forcing 25% of us into an alpha-ready site and telling us that classic is going away (a.k.a., our moderation) is wrong, pig headed, and premature. You need to acknowledge this above all else.
You also need 3 - 4 user interfaces that interface with your back end. We know it can be done and should be done. Three for desktops and maybe one for mobile. Of the three desktop versions: one with javascript, one without javascript, and one for lynx. Both the "with javascript" and "without javascript" versions should have different options that are stored in cookies and logins so we can customize a bit.
You, every single programmer, and every manager need to read every single comment that Timothy has generated. It's a good start to understanding what is wrong with your beta site and your communication about it. I agree with 98% of the comments I see. I know readers digest is important at the moment since your inboxes are flooded. I suggest starting with this comment, this comment, this comment, and this comment.
When I come back on the 18th, I expect to see something about how you are going to treat us better than you're treating us right now. If you give an actual mea culpa and fully address our issues, Slashdot will tower above any split offs. You have the momentum. If you don't, a lot of us are going to work on your competitor full steam ahead and many will jump from Slashdot. It's not a threat. This is your user base. We are technically oriented and opinionated. It just depends if you want to work with us or not.
Again, thank you for responding. I feel it is half a step in the right direction. I eagerly await the other half step. Me and many others will be watching closely (with the exception during the boycott).
